Continuing with their series on the PS4, this week, Japanese gaming magazine Weekly Famitsu published the second half of their two-part developer interview, with several more Japanese developers sharing their thoughts on Sony's new console.

Ever try to drink out of a fire hose? Me neither, but I'd imagine that it might feel a little…
Read more Read more

Once again, the standard 3 questions were posed:

1. What are your impressions of the PlayStation 4?2. Of the PlayStation 4's specs and functions, what stands out to you?3. What sort of game would you like to develop utilizing the PlayStation 4's specs and functions?

• Grasshopper Manufacture CEO/Game Designer , Gouichi Suda (Suda 51)

1. — "It seems like the 4th in a line that I'll be having a continued and even longer relationship with."

2. — "The feeling of ‘togetherness' encapsulated in the Share button. In the present day where connectivity between people anytime and anyplace has become customary, I extremely interested in a play environment where the playing field for people to play together is widening many times over."

3. — "A dramatic game. A dramatic Share. A dramatic Cloud. A dramatic architecture. I've chosen a bunch of cool words, but what I want is to make an innovative game that lets players experience how 'dramatic' the PS4 is."

• Nippon Ichi Software CEO, Souhei Niikawa

1. — "My initial impression was ‘Here it is!' It helps to invigorate the business, so new hardware is always welcome."

2. — "To tell the truth, rather than the functions or specs of the PS4, I'm more interested in the timing of its release. The PS3 is still ripe as hardware and can still perform as an active console. I think for users and developers, it's a little soon to release the PS4."

3. — "If we're going to release a game for the PS4, then I'd like to utilize the unique features of the PS4. I'd like Nippon Ichi's first game for the PS4 to be a product that suits the customers' needs the best."

• SEGA Chief Communications Officer, Toshihiro Nagoshi

1. — "I genuinely felt that the specs, namely the high image quality, that enable the development of high quality products, are amazing. I've been in this field for 23 years, and back in the past, the current specs would have been considered a fantasy. But at the same time, there are a lot of hurdles that need to be overcome to expand that fantasy to its limit, so there is a certain tenseness that keeps me from simply being overjoyed. I'm also aware that users want to see that fantasy taken to the limit."

2. — "I'm looking forward to the functions and services that stimulate the ‘user community' and share game enjoyment. The ‘online' component of games has been a standard for a while now, but I'm looking forward to services that utilize that component to dynamically cultivate user connectivity."

3. — "To sum it up in a single phrase, it'd be ‘a great emotional experience shared by many people.' It used to be the norm in all areas that the bigger the numbers, the worse it looks, and the better it looks, the smaller the numbers—the question now will be how to escape that dilemma? I'm going to give it my best."

1. — "It's a technological combination worthy of the title of ‘Next Gen.' I think it's a piece of hardware that will maximize its technology ‘without limitation' to allow us to focus on ‘making the most enjoyable games.'"

2. — "I was very impressed with the memory size. I also think it will present a new kind of play that utilizes online connectivity, and feel there's a lot of potential there. I'm also interested in the cross platform capability that lets people connect between the PS4 and the PS Vita or smart phones/tablets."

3. — "I think the PS4 is a console that is made for people of the next generation. I'd like everyone in the Gung Ho group to take up the challenge to create revolutionary next generation game entertainment we've never made before, that utilizes our strengths, like online functions and smart phones, while being more than something that simply ‘has prettier graphics.'"

• SEGA Section Manager, Masayoshi Yokoyama

1. — "Personally, I was expecting a Sony group home appliance substation sort of expansion, so it felt like an evolution of ‘gaming hardware' in a good way. There are a lot of features that tickle my creative fancy as a game developer, so I'm quite excited."

2. — "My primary interest is the controller. I believe the controller is a user's biggest direct interface with [a console's] ‘quality.' With previous game consoles that were released, after a time, what you tend to think of is the tactile sensation of the controller in your hands and the feeling of gameplay. That feeling is stored in your brain along with the memories of fun games. The new controller has the most appealing form and specs I've seen since the original PlayStation, so I'm very excited about it."

3. — "Looking at the new functions, I believe we've truly entered the new age of ‘bi-directional media.' In Japan, TV and other ‘passive' media are still the majority, but with the emergence of the PS4, I think the possibility of new genres like a change from ‘viewed' to ‘movable' TV would be interesting. I'm thinking of such possibilities."

• Spike Chunsoft Senior Producer, Yoshinori Terasawa

1. — "All we've seen is the controller, but I thought that it's evolving. The touch panel on the front seems interesting. That said, I want to see the actual console. It's a new piece of hardware from SCE, so I'm sure it'll be cool and stylish!"

2. — "I'm interested in seeing how keywords like Cloud, Network, Social will merge with games up until now. Also, I always wonder, whenever a new console comes out, just how ‘easy to develop for' it will be."

3. — "In terms of a ‘mandatory network connection,' I have an idea that I've been cultivating for gaming in PC and mobile phone development, so I'd like to utilize it if it could be implemented well, but if not, I wouldn't try to force it. Still, inter-user connectivity will be strengthened as a hardware function of the PS4, so I think new ways of playing will be discovered even for pre-existing stand-alone games. Also, personally... I'd like it if they could make it so that you can't tell when someone is playing games when taking a break from work."